Orthopedic brace joint



Nov. 12, 1957 F. P. MILLER ET AL oRTHoPEDIc BRACE JOINT Filed lday` 28 1954 'Iliff/Ilm fill,"

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ORTHOPEDHC BRACE JOINT Fred P. Miller and Sanford Jaffe, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 23, 1954, Serial No. 433,017

3 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 80) The present invention relates generally as indicated to an orthopedic brace joint which has as its principal objects the provision of a precision ball-bearing joint, and the provision of such a joint having novel releasable lock means associated therewith which makes possible the simple and foolproof locking of the pivotally connected members of the joint in aligned relationship to each other and ready releasiny or unlocking of the joint, even under load, to permit pivotal movement of its pivotally joined members.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

' In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation View of one embodiment of the present invention, a side portion of one link member having been broken away to more clearly illustrate the releasable lock member;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section View taken substantially along the line 2 2, Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section view taken substantially along the line 3 3, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 1 except illustrating a modified form of the present invention.

Refening now more specifically to the drawing, and first to Figs. 1-3, which illustrate the present orthopedic brace joint as adapted for use as a knee joint, the reference numeral ll designates the upright member, to the lower end of which is adapted to be attached an ankle joint assembly (not-shown) having a lateral portion connected to the heel of the shoe of the patient. The intermediate portion of said upright member il will have riveted or otherwise secured thereto the usual calf band by which said upright member is secured to the outside of the leg of the patient.

Pivotally connected to the upper end of said upright member 1 in a manner to be hereinafter described in detail is an upper member 2 to which a thigh band, usually padded, is adapted to be secured and also a laced cuff by means of which said upper member 2 is attached to the outside of the thigh of the patient.

A similar assembly of upright and upper members 1 and 2 will be secured to the inside of the leg of the patient.

Referring now to the pivotal connection between said members 1 and 2, the same is herein shown as comprising a ball or like anti-friction bearing 3, the outer race 4 of which is a shrink t in the hole through the upper end portion of the upright member l. Extending through the inner race of said bearing 3 is a pin 6 and also through holes adjacent the lower ends of the face plates 7 of said 2,812,760 Patented Nov. 12, 1957 upper member 2. Said inner race 5, pin 6, and face plates 7 are secured together as a unit by riveting the ends of said pin 6 to washers 8 and 9 disposed on the outside of said face plates. In order to prevent binding between said plates 7 and upright member 1, the inner race 5 may be of slightly greater axial extent than the outer race 4 and the thickness of the upper end of said upright member 1; or, if desired, shims or the like may be interposed between the ends of said inner race 5 and the adjacent face plates 7. In any event, there is a slight clearance between the inside faces of the face plates 7 and the outside faces of the upright member 1 so as not to impede free pivotal movement of said upright and upper members 1 and 2.

The face plates 7 are provided with flanges 10 along opposite sides thereof, and are held apart in parallel relation as by means of a spacer 1l riveted or otherwise held in place, and preferably said spacer 11 is formed with grooves to receive the lianges 10 of said face plates.

Slidably mounted between said face plates 7 and on the tracks provided by said flanges it) is a lock member 12 which has a tongue 14, the opposite sides of which are preferably at an angle of about 7 with respect to the longitudinal axis of said upper member 2. Said tongue 14 fits into a complementary recess 15 formed in the upper end of the upright member l. Thus, when said lock member 12 is in the position shown, the upright and upper members 1 and Z are held against pivotal movement, and thus the leg of the patient will be supported in straight position without permitting bending at the knee in either direction.

N ow, when it is desired to bend the knee, as when the patient wishes to be seated, all that it is necessary to do is to raise the lock member 12 to disengage its tongue from the recess aforesaid, whereupon the leg of the patient may bend at the knee. In order to hold the lock member l2 either in its locking or unlocking positions, it is provided with a spring loaded ball detent unit 16 which, in said positions, engages in openings or recesses 17 formed in the adjacent face plate 7.

One distinctive feature of the joint just described is that the upright and upper members l and Z need not be in exact longitudinal alignment in order to lock the same in an aligned position; and, of course, by reason of the intertting tapered tongue and recess portions 14 and 15, looseness of the joint is avoided.

In prior art joints with which we are familiar, ordinary pin or rivet joints are employed, and a square or rectangular cross-section tube is slid down and up to lock and unlock the joint, and obviously, in order to obtain a tight joint in the locked position, the upright and upper members will have to be exactly aligned before such tube can be slipped downwardly, and likewise under conditions of load, it is ditiicult to raise such tube to unlock the joint. Moreover, such riveted or pin joints are subiected to wear and quickly become unserviceable because of iooseness developed therein.

When the lock member 12 is raised in the present construction, the upright member i may be swung as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In the case of the inside knee brace joint, the upright and upper members i and 2 will again be pivotally connected together as through a ball bearing 3, but a lock member 12 is not required, and usually the inside joint will include interengaging surfaces which abut to permit relative pivotal movement of the upper and upright members in one direction only, that is, in the direction of bending of the knee from the straight leg position.

In the Fig. 4 construction, there is illustrated a hip joint which is quite similar to that just described, except that it is of a more rugged construction because only one can be employed to withstand the load, and in this case the jointwill have secured-thereto a suitable pelvicvbandor.

Essentially the, only difference between theA hipthe, like. and knee joints is that, in the hip joint, the tapered tongue 23 is formed on theupright member 20; and the tapered recess 24 is formed in the slidable lock member 25, but

the same general principles underlie both forms of the` invention, land in both, the locking is foolproof, and positive and yet can be accomplished while the brace members are under stress. Similarly, in locking the knee and hip. joints,the pivotally connected members thereof need not be in exact straight-line relation in order to actuate the lock member l2` or 25 to locking position. Moreover, in both constructions herein illustrated, the use of ball bearings 3 eliminates looseness and wear of the joint, and the lock member 12 or 25 with its tapered wedging surfaces cooperating with wedge surfaces of the upright members 1 or 20 insures a tight and positive locking of the joint members together in properly aligned relationship.

As an added feature of the invention,` the hip joint in Fig. 4 includes a parallel-sided tongue 2.6 on lock member 25 intertting a complementary recess 27 in the end of upright member 20. Thus, the joint will not loosen except after the tongue 26 has disengaged the recess 27. The upper member 21, as upper member 2, includes two plates 28 straddling the upper end of member 20 and formed with flanges 29 to provide tracks for lock member 25, a ball detent unit 16, and a spacer 30 between plates 28.

In any event, both joints herein disclosed employ antifrictiorrbearing pivots which are concealed and provide strong, smooth action joints and lock members which may be readily shifted between joint locking and unlocking positions but yet are effectively prevented from accidental dislodgement from locking position. The 7 angle of the wedge surfaces resists driving out of the lock members while yet permits easy locking without necessity for exact alignment of the joint members.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly `claim as our invention:

1. An orthopedic brace joint comprising a pair lof joint members pivotally connected together, one joint memberl being provided with spaced-apart plates which straddle an end of the other joint member and which are formed with parallel, longitudinally extending and laterally inturned flanges adjacent such end of the other joint member, a lock member longitudinally slidable between said plates into and out of engagement with said other joint member, said lock member being formed with parallel, longitudinally extending grooves into which said flanges extend to guide the movements of said lock member, said lock member and said other joint member being formedV 4' with complementary tapered tongue and recess portions which intertit and are effective to lock said joint members against pivotal movement when said lock member is moved into engagement with said other joint member.

2. An orthopedic brace joint comprising a pair of joint members pivotally connected together, one joint member being provided with spaced-apart plates which straddle an end of the other joint member and which are formed with parallel, longitudinally extending and laterally inturned flanges adjacent such end of the other joint member, a lock member longitudinally slidable between said plates into and out of engagement with said other joint member, said lock member being formed with parallel, longitudinally extending grooves-into which said flanges extend to guide the movements of said lock member, said lock member and said other joint member being formed with complementary tapered tongue and recess portions which-intert and are effectiveto lock said joint members against` pivotal movement when said lock member is moved into engagement with said other joint member, said lock member and one of said plates being provided with cooperating spring detent means arranged to yieldably retain said lock member in engagement with or out of engagement with said other joint member, as desired.

3. An orthopedic brace joint comprising a pair of joint members pivotally connected together, one joint member being provided with spaced-apart plates which straddle an end of theother joint member and which are formed with parallel, longitudinally extending and laterally inturned ilanges adjacent such end of the other joint member, a lock member longitudinally slidable between said plates into and out of engagement with said other joint member, said lock member being formed with parallel, longitudinally extending grooves into which said anges extend to guide the movements of said lock member, said lock member and said other joint member being formed with complementary tapered tongue and recess portions which intert and are effective to lock said joint members against pivotal movement when said lock member is moved into` engagement with said other joint member, and anti-friction bearing means pivotally connecting together said joint members, said bearing means comprising an outer race fitted into said other joint member and an inner race clamped between said plates and effective to retain said plates out of frictional engagement with opposite sides of, said other joint member and of said outer race.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

